Coming into this NBA season, there were already favorites for the Most Valuable Player award on the minds of most people. Among those favorites were LeBron James of the Miami Heat, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, in addition to Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. Now that we are nearly three quarters of the way through the NBA season, the race has been narrowed down to just a couple of players. The race would have also included Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs, but due to his ankle injury, his candidacy will not be as nearly as impressive as that of the other two candidates. The first candidate is the reigning MVP, LeBron James, who seems to be in complete control of whether he will be able to win his fourth MVP award. James has been having his finest season of his illustrious career by far. He has surpassed many of his averages by a large margin. He is ninth in the NBA shooting 56.2% from the field, a career-high for him, and he is also fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 27.0 points per game. James also has a career career-high three-point percentage of 40%. His overall shooting has increased phenomenally as he has developed a much better shot from mid-range and from behind the three-point line. James also adds 8.1 rebounds/game, another career-high, and 7.2 assists/game with only 2.9 turnovers/game, yet another career-best. He is having one of his most efficient years of his career, and it is on full display in his statistics and in his team’s performance. After all, the Heat have the second best record in the NBA. LeBron currently has his team on a 16-game win streak, and during this streak, he has come up big in almost every win. He even scored, as a member of the Heat, his first game-winner with fewer than five seconds remaining. King James also leads the NBA in Estimated Wins Added (EWA) at 23.6 and Player Efficiency Rating (PER), clocking in at an otherworldly 31.4. He now is the full package as he has added a great defensive game to his repertoire now, which makes him the best all-around player in the NBA. He is difficult to stop inside without fouling, and his opponents cannot give him too much space because he is able to make jump shots consistently now. He was already the best player in the NBA, but now he is solidifying his status as the league’s premier player and swaying many of the doubters’ opinions. Simply put, LeBron has everything going for him, and he will win the MVP award unless his game falls off drastically.

The Associated Press

The only other player that may be able to prevent James from winning his fourth MVP award is Kevin Durant. Once again, Durant is leading the league in points/game with 28.6. KD is also having a career year in nearly every category. He has a shooting percentage of 50.7%, a three-point percentage of 42.1%, a free-throw percentage of 90.6%, 4.6 assists per game, 1.3 blocks per game, and 1.6 steals per game, all of which are amazingly career- highs. He also is adding 7.9 rebounds/game, which nearly ties his career-high of 8.0 rebounds/game. KD is also having one of his best all-around years, as he has brought his offensive play to greater heights, while also raising his defensive play to new levels. Like James, Durant has also become one of the most complete players in the NBA, in addition to being one of the best. In terms of EWA and PER, Durant is second to James by only a small margin. He has led the Thunder to the second seed in the Western Conference and the third-best record in the league. He is on his way to his fourth consecutive scoring title and fourth straight All-NBA First Team. KD can become the sixth player all time to join the 50-40- 90 club, a select group of players who post season numbers exceeding a 50% field-goal percentage, 40% three-point percentage, and 90% free-throw percentage. If Durant can continue playing at this pace, he will have a chance to surpass James for the MVP award. Ultimately the award for MVP may be decided based on their team’s record at the end of the season. However, LeBron’s recent stretch of games during which he has shot over 60% and scored over 30 points may very well have been the turning point in the MVP discussion. Besides, James and the Heat were able to defeat KD and the Thunder in both meetings this year, though Durant was able to outscore James both times. Luckily, this two-man competition for MVP will be just as exciting in the years to come as Durant and James further refine their craft and grow even more talented.